Rights body slams heresy app launch

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s national human rights agency said it was concerned about the launch of a mobile application by the Jakarta Prosecutor’s Office, which allows members of the public to report religious beliefs they consider “misguided”.

Indonesia has no state religion but has traditionally required citizens to register as Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Buddhist or Confucian, though last year the Constitutional Court affirmed the rights of faiths outside official religions after a challenge by some indigenous faiths.

The app, called “Smart Pakem”, features a list of groups including Ahmadiyyah as well as Gafatar, which the country’s highest Islamic council considers a deviant sect.

It was not clear what the list represented, but some of the groups such as Gafatar have been outlawed and the app has a link that allows members of the public to report organisations deemed harmful.

The app could have a “dangerous consequence by causing social disintegration”, said Amiruddin Al-Rahab, a commissioner at the National Commission on Human Rights.

Mr Rahab said since the app’s features were not running in full it was unclear whether the prosecutor’s office would include detailed guidance on the kind of organisation categorised as “harmful” or beliefs deemed as “misguided”.

He added that the app could also contravene the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the rights of devotees of faiths outside the state-recognised religions.

The Jakarta Prosecutor’s Office could not immediately be reached for comment.